COP23: LDC CSOs call for a transformation of the energy system

LDC Watch along with five other likeminded organizations organized a side event “Reclaiming Power: People vs. Polluters” at COP23. This focused on how the Paris Accord can only be met by transforming the current energy system, and the meeting stressed that the next move is for a transformation to a clean energy system with special consideration towards energy sustainability, energy security and energy equity aspects of the LDCs.

“The international community must ensure access to climate adaptation finance for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Most Vulnerable Countries (MVCs) so they can strengthen their resilience capacity and transform their current energy systems into renewable energy”, said Gauri Pradhan, Global Coordinator of LDC Watch.

Demba Mosussa Dembele, LDC Watch Chair called for the development partners of the developed countries to “appropriately settle the deep and longstanding tensions over the issue of ‘loss and damage’, and compensate those LDCs for destruction resulting from climate change for which they are not responsible.”

It is urgent that the developed countries abide by the Common but Differentiated Responsibility and Respected Capacities (CBDR-RC) and take the lead by committing to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, says LDC Watch. International development partners ensure that finances available for LDCs, where millions of households still lack access to reliable, sustainable and affordable energy.

The atmospheric concentration of CO2 recently exceeded 400 ppm, but the world is still on a path of escalating CO2 concentrations. A large part of this emission is caused by burning of fossil fuel by the developed nations. To reach their energy transformation goals and move from dirty energy, developed countries must immediately ban fracking and adopt a global moratorium on fossil fuel exploration and extraction techniques in starting in 2018. They must also adopt an international moratorium on new coal projects by 2019. In addition, developed countries must abolish subsidies on ‘dirty energy’ by 2020, and developing countries by 2025.

“It is critical that climate action starts immediately”,, said Pradhan. “The world cannot afford to wait until 2020 for the Paris Agreement to come into effect; pre-2020 actions are needed, and the second commitment of Kyoto Protocol, that obliges developed countries to reduce emissions, needs to be urgently ratified.”